The cities’ argument – keeping employees close is important for public safety, and also keeps a large group of reliably middle-class workers within the city’s borders.

A Lorain city official once expressed his view on the subject to me this way, “If the city is good enough for you to take our money, it’s good enough for you to live here.”

Workers argue they should be able to live where they want, and “For far too long, a few cities have held their police officers hostage to high taxes, poor schools and mismanagement of municipal services,” an FOP attorney is quoted as saying in this story.

On the other hand, I have to imagine there are plenty of individuals living in Cleveland who would be willing to take up jobs as firefighters and in other public service positions. But this is really a political question more than anything.

Could you work for a federal government office in a border state, like NY, Michigan or Texas, and commute from Canada or Mexico? I have no idea, I am just curious. I mean, I don’t see why anyone would want to do that.. but in pricipal I’m just wondering.

I think it makes sense to only hire locals for local government jobs! I think it should be in the rights of the localities to do that..